Salted Caramels

Something you should know about me.   I hate night shifts.  Hate them with a passion.  To say that to work a block of them ruins my week is only nine tenths true.  One tenth of my week continues to be enjoyable, between the hours of 4-9 when I can do normal people things, eat dinner and relax with my dog.  Maybe bake (even though I usually do this in the morning) and clean a little.  Everything else is totally messed up, my clock is completely off and the thirty minute commute home is the deadliest drive I make in the year.  

These could help make my night shifts slightly more bearable.  These salted caramels are divine.  Dark and sweet with a lick of salt they melt in your mouth, yet are very chewy.  You can’t consume these fast, if you chew them they’ll make your teeth stick together.  You need to savour these, it’s a built in requirement.  The salt makes the caramel really shine, while cutting down on the sweetness.

Salted Caramels - adapted from here

You don’t need anything fancy to make these, though not everyone has a candy thermometer, it’s definitely necessary for this recipe’s success.  

300g (1 1/2 c) sugar

1/2 c light corn syrup

1 c heavy cream

75 g (5 T) butter

1 t fleur de sel

1/2 t vanilla

Line an 8 inch pan with parchment, leave an overhang on two sides to make it easier to pick up later.  Spray with oil to coat.  In a deep saucepan combine sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 c of water and place on med-high heat.  Continue to boil until mixture is golden brown syrup, careful at the end, it turns fast.  Meanwhile combine cream, butter and fleur de sel and place over med-low heat until it simmers, then take off heat.  

When sugar mixture is a warm, golden colour take it off the heat and SLOWLY add the cream mixture into is whisking as you go.  Watch out it will expand rapidly and mine even bubbled over a little.  Stir in vanilla and insert candy thermometer into pot.  Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until the thermometer registers 248 degrees.  This is the firm ball stage.  Immediately pour caramel into greased pan and refrigerate until firm.  

When the caramels are cold take them from the fridge and lift using the parchment handles onto a cutting board.  (I had to leave mine at room temperature for 40 minutes until they were soft enough to cut, otherwise they shattered.)  Cut into 1 inch squares and sprinkle with fleur de sel.  I keep mine at room temperature so they are ready to pop in my mouth at a moments notice.  Extras freeze.

Halloween Cupcakes

Happy Halloween everyone!

Even though halloween in not usually a holiday I get into I decided to try these candy corn cupcakes.  I made these about a month ago and it totally bombed.  I didn't have a good cupcake recipe.  I didn't have the necessary food dyes.  This time I went into it prepared.  I'm bringing these to a potluck at work so I made them mini (no one wants everyone to see them pig out on a huge cupcake.)  Plus after all that food, no one needs that much sugar (except for me!)

These are festive and cute and I'm glad I gave them another chance.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

For these cupcakes I used the Yellow Butter Cupcakes from my Rose's  Heavenly Cakes Book and they turned out really well.  Light and fluffy.  Perfect.


I halved the recipe so here we go.  (enough to make about 6 large cupcakes or 24 minis)

1 egg room temperature
1/3 c yogurt, divided
100 g cake flour
100 g superfine sugar
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
6 T, 85 g butter at room temperature

Start by lining 24 mini muffin tins with cupcake liners and preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl mix together egg, 1 1/2 T of yogurt and vanilla together until lightly combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer mix all dry ingredients with flat beater on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add the butter and remaining (3.5 T) yogurt and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened.  Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes.  Scrape down bowl.

On medium low add the egg in two parts beating on medium for 30 seconds between additions to strengthen the structure.  Use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liner about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top and check with a toothpick.

Cool the cupcakes on wire rack before icing.

For the icing (you'll have extra for sure) unless you double the recipe for the cupcakes

185 g (13 T) butter at room temp
2 1/2 (75 g) egg whites at room temp
1/2 c sugar divided
2 T water
1/4 t + 1/16 t cream of tarter
1/2 t vanilla

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter alone until creamy (about 1 minute)

Pour egg whites into a large glass bowl and have handheld mixer ready.

In a small heavy saucepan stir together 1/4 c + 2 T of sugar and water until moistened.  Heat on low.

While the sugar is heating beat egg white until foamy, add cream of tarter and beat until soft peaks form then sprinkle in 2 T of sugar and beat until stiff peaks.  Keeping a eye on the sugar.

Bring sugar up to 248 degrees  and immediately start pouring into egg mixture in slow steady stream while beating on high.  Lower the speed to medium and continue to mix for 2 minutes.  Then let the meringue cool in the fridge for a few minutes.

Attach whisk beater to stand mixer.  Beat egg/sugar mixture into butter on medium high speed for 3 minutes.  Beat in vanilla.

This is where I divided the icing and mixed in the food colours.

Sponge candy

Every morning I wake up the first thing I notice is the way a fresh blanket of snow reflects light under the slats of my blinds. And every morning the first thing I do as I rise is peek through the same slats and with a giddy little grin turn and move on with my day. I've never seen so much snow and for so long. We're 80 cm over our average for the season and we're only a month in. Even though my main mode of transportation is my bike and the only way to get around now is my feet, the snow doesn't bother me as it should. It's like the weather gods are making up for all the snow-less Christmases and winters we've suffered through. I love it.

Because it's the beginning of the year and for no other specific reason I decided today was a good day to make sponge candy in the form of my favourite chocolate bar, the crunchie. I think they're delicious. I love that they are light and airy somehow both popping and melting on my tongue. Caramel air covered in chocolate...yummm. You want one?

Seriously, there is nothing complicated to this recipe so long as you know your way around sugar and how to use your brain. Something I couldn't seem to do to avoid what happened.

This is how the candy turned out. You'll notice it's about 1/4 of the size it should be with teeny little air bubbles. Not the texture I've been dreaming of.


Even as a first attempt I'll say I'm disappointed, and this is where I'll blame the recipe. Haha! Indeed it's not my fault at all (though common sense now tells me otherwise.) Still, I guarantee it will be gone by tomorrow evening.

Only in my post disappointment searching did I find that mixing the baking soda into the candy mixture is necessary. I also found a vinegar component added to most other recipes. I'm not sure this is significant, but it may help the structure to form a little better.

Sponge Candy

1 c. white sugar
4 T. white corn syrup
2t. baking soda slightly dissolved in 2 t. water
1c. dark chocolate

Line cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper, be sure to well oil the paper.

In a large pot combine sugar and syrup over medium heat. Turn down heat to maintain steady simmer. Cook until light yellow in colour about 300ºf. As soon as the mixture turns colour sprinkle in the baking soda mixture. (Note: this is where I went wrong, the recipe I was following said NOT to mix! Mixing is necessary for even distribution, just be careful not to over mix, you want to keep the air bubbles.)

This is the yellow you need to achieve

Mixture should bubble up and increase in volume by four times. Take off heat and quickly pour mixture on prepared sheet.

Melt chocolate in a double-broiler and slather on sponge. Cool until set. Store in air tight container.